Rowing crews set to return to Quidi Vidi Lake, but Regatta Day remains undecided

Rowers will soon be able to return to Quidi Vidi Lake for practice,but the possibility of a return for the Royal St. John's Regatta this coming August remains up in the air amid the ongoing pandemic, race organizers announced Friday.

All rowing including the regatta itself was suspended last year due to COVID-19, marking the first time the sporting event has been cancelled since 1940.

To get back on the water for training at all is "a very big deal," said Bradley Power, president of the regatta committee.

"It's something we've been working on since last year. It's something our rowing community has been yearning for, for quite some time."

Practiceis Phase 1 of the organization's return to rowing, with any sort of racing or time trials to be decided in what Power calledPhase 2. ARegatta Day itself, complete with vendors and crowds,would be beyond that, and subject to public health restrictions and recommendations.

"This may not be the news everyone had hoped for," Power said.

The races have been traditionally held on the first Wednesday of August for more than 200 years, with tens of thousands of people flocking to watch, eat and play games along the lakeshore in the east end of St. John's.

Having those crowds return "just doesn't make sense right now," he said, particularly in light ofcoronavirus variants raging on the mainland.

"We're very worried about the third wave. It would impact our operation."

Regatta organizers are balancing realismwith optimism, and Power said a lot depends on how safely practices go.

"Ifeverything goes well, we may see some type of an event, maybe not as big as what we've had in previous years," he said. "And if things go toward the negative, we may not be able to have an event at all."

A delay to the regatta is also a possibility, said Power, adding itcould be pushed up until the end of October.

All the changes come with financial strain, as Power said the cost of operating amid restrictions "will be much more." Crew registrations only account for 20 per cent of itsrevenue, and the organization relies heavily on Regatta Day crowds for the rest

"If we don't hold a garden party, our revenues will be significantly impacted," he said.

May's rowing return

In the meantime, a return for rowers has been deemed relatively safe, although there will be numerous restrictions.

Team sports across Newfoundland and Labrador have been cleared to resume under Alert Level 2, and following those guidelines as well as those from Rowing Canada, Power said the first crews will hit the water on May 3.

Practices will look different than in the past: rowers must limit their interactions to their own crews and be masked at all times except when theirboats have pushed off from the dock.

Boats will be sanitized between practices, andthe boathouse itself will be off limits.

"There's always risk in the community when there'sCOVID-19 present. We believe that we've done everything we possibly can to address the risk within our facility," said Power.

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